Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food

The State Secretariat for Agriculture and Food is, under the direct authority of the Minister, the highest body of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food directly responsible for the Department ' s policies regarding actions, objectives and programmes aimed at the development of the rural environment.

The State Secretariat for Agriculture and Food has the following functions:

1. The exercise of the functions attributed to the Department in the field of rural development, innovation, digitization and training in the agri-food sector and in the rural environment through the General Directorate of Rural Development, Innovation and Agri-food Training, as well as the contribution of the Ministry to the policy of the State in the field of demographic challenge.

2. The coordination of the Department’s measures that promote equal conditions and the incorporation of women and young people in agricultural and food activity, its governance bodies, entrepreneurship and rural economic sectors, as well as those that contribute to creating better living and employment conditions for young people and women.

3. The determination of the criteria that allow the establishment of the Spanish position before the European Union and in its agreements with third countries, as well as in other international organizations and forums, in matters of rural development, and acting as an interlocutor before these international bodies, without prejudice to the competences of other bodies of the Ministry and other ministerial departments.

4. Coordination, cooperation and collaboration with the autonomous communities and the most representative entities in the aforementioned matters, as well as the elaboration of proposals that allow the establishment of the Spanish position on such matters before the European Union and other international organizations or forums.

The General Secretariat for Agricultural Resources and Food Security is, under the authority of the Minister, the governing body of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food directly responsible for the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), and the development and coordination of multilateral relations within the framework of agri-food policies, and relations between the actors of the food chain and sustainability and the food system.

It is also responsible for defining, proposing and implementing the Ministry ' s policies on food industries and markets, agricultural and livestock resources, animal and plant health, sanitary and phytosanitary agreements with third countries, and bilateral and multilateral relations in agri-food matters.

The General Secretariat for Agricultural Resources and Food Security is responsible for:

1. The exercise of the functions assigned to the Ministry in the areas of agricultural production and markets, livestock farming, concentration of supply, animal and plant health, as well as the planning, direction and coordination of the active policies of the Department in the field of food industries and markets, especially ensuring food security and animal welfare.

2. The determination of the criteria to establish the Spanish position before the European Union and in its agreements with third countries, as well as in other international organizations and forums, which have agricultural and food content, and to act as an interlocutor before these international bodies, without prejudice to the competences of other bodies of the Ministry and other ministerial departments.

3. Coordination, cooperation and collaboration with the autonomous communities and the most representative entities in the aforementioned matters, as well as elaborating the proposals that allow to establish the Spanish position on such matters before the European Union and other international organizations or forums.

4. The exercise of the functions of national management authority of the CAP Strategic Plan, in accordance with the provisions of Article 123 of Regulation 2021/2115, which establishes rules in relation to assistance to strategic plans to be drawn up by the Member States within the framework of the CAP.

The General Secretariat for Fisheries is, under the authority of the Minister, the governing body of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, directly responsible for the Common Fisheries Policy, as well as for the Department’s own competences in planning and implementing the policy on maritime fisheries in external waters and aquaculture, basic management of the fisheries sector, control and inspection and the fight against illegal fishing, the management and coordination of Community funds for fisheries and aquaculture, the planning of economic activity and market guidance in the marketing and processing of fisheries and aquaculture products, and participation in fisheries and aquaculture policy research and implementation.

The General Secretariat for Fisheries is responsible for:

1. The exercise of the functions assigned to the Ministry in the field of fisheries sector management, aquaculture and fisheries marketing, as well as the planning, direction and coordination of the active policies of the Department in this field.

2. The determination of the criteria that allow the establishment of the Spanish position before the European Union in the field of fisheries and aquaculture.

3. The functions arising from the European Union's fisheries agreements with third countries.

4. The functions derived from the participation of the Kingdom of Spain, by itself or within the delegation of the European Union, in international fisheries organizations and international cooperation in fisheries and aquaculture matters in coordination with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation.

5. Institutional relations with professional organizations and other entities representative of the fisheries and aquaculture sectors, without prejudice to the competences of the Department’s Undersecretariat.

6. Coordination, cooperation and collaboration with the autonomous communities and the most representative entities in the aforementioned matters.

7. The planning, design and promotion of fisheries and aquaculture strategies and policies of the Department.

8. The planning, design and promotion of the Department’s fisheries research, development and innovation policy in fisheries and aquaculture, in coordination where appropriate, with the Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities.

It is up to the Undersecretary of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food to carry out the functions listed in article 63 of Law 40/2015, of 1 October, on the Legal Regime of the Public Sector, and the direction, impulse and supervision of the public agencies that are attached to it.

In addition to those stated in the previous section, and except in cases reserved to the decision of the Minister, the Under-Secretariat is assigned the following functions corresponding to the different areas of common services:

1. To assist the Minister in the functions of monitoring the activity of the Department, carrying out those that make it possible to evaluate the operation, effectiveness and performance of the staff and services of the Ministry, as well as the monitoring of the contracting of public works of competence of the Department in its technical, functional and administrative aspects.

2. The coordination of the projects and actions of the Ministry in which the competences of the State Secretariat of Agriculture and Food and the Secretariats General come together.

3. Coordinate institutional relations with professional organizations and other representative entities of interest in the agricultural, food and fisheries sectors.

4. The resolution of the procedures for the recognition of professional qualifications issued by the Member States of the European Union and other signatory States of the Agreement on the European Economic Area in relation to the professions related to the Department, in accordance with the specific regulations in the matter.

5. The preparation of reports on the analysis and monitoring of those fiscal measures that have an impact on the Department’s areas of competence, and the preparation of the annual proposal for the drafting of the indices of net performance of agricultural activities in the method of objective estimation of Personal Income Tax, for transmission to the Ministry of Finance.

6. The management of the Permanent Commission on Climatic and Environmental Adversities (COPAC), in accordance with the provisions of Order AAA/2272/2013, of November 27, which establishes the Permanent Commission for situations of climatic or environmental adversity; as well as the dialogue with other Ministries and especially the General Directorate of Civil Protection and Emergencies of the Ministry of the Interior and the Ministry for Ecological Transition and Demographic Challenge, in the face of climatic or other adversities that may affect the agri-food and fisheries sector.

7. The monitoring, analysis and foresight of the social, economic and environmental aspects linked to the different strategic areas of the Department, including the creation and dissemination of information related to these, as well as the elaboration of the Annual Report of Indicators of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food.

8. The coordination of the functional areas and units of the Department integrated in the Government Delegations, without prejudice to the functional dependence foreseen respectively in articles 4.7 and 8.5 of this royal decree.

9. The execution and coordination, where appropriate, of the statistical operations of the sectoral plans and assigned to the Department in the National Statistical Plan and the dialogue with the National Institute of Statistics and with the European Commission on aspects related to these operations, as well as the Presidency of the National Committee of the National Agricultural Accounting Network. The coordination of statistical sources within the competence of the Department and those statistical operations that are not assigned to the Under-Secretariat for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food.

10. Coordination on State aid in the areas of activity of the Department and dialogue with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation.

11. The coordination, monitoring and reporting of matters submitted to the Government Delegated Commission for Economic Affairs.

12. Coordination and analysis for the implementation of measures in the agri-food and fisheries sectors that imply the need to establish actions of a financial, labor or fiscal nature.

13. The monitoring of the procedures related to the application of European Union regulations, as well as the monitoring of their transposition into domestic law, in collaboration with the units responsible for the elaboration of regulations and competent by reason of the matter.

14. Assistance to the other bodies of the Ministry in matters of international relations and external action; coordination, participation and follow-up, as appropriate, of the presence and initiatives of the Department and its autonomous bodies in the international agencies and conventions in matters of competence of the Ministry, as well as development cooperation; representation of the Department in the interministerial commissions or bodies in matters of international relations, when such representation has not been attributed to another body of the Department; and coordination of the actions of the bodies of the Ministry abroad.

15. Monitoring of the agreements signed by the European Union with third countries or international organizations that include agri-food and fishing matters, in collaboration with the competent units of the Ministry and with other ministerial departments.